Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office Indicted 126 People for Firearms Violations Last Year
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio indicted 126 people on firearms charges last year.
Broken down by geography in the district, the most people indicted came out of the Cleveland office, with 66. That was followed by the Youngstown office (23), Toledo office (19) and Akron office (18).
“Our office and our law enforcement partners will continue to work collaboratively to target the worst of the worst,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Carole Rendon. “These include people who carry firearms, ammunition and sometimes body armor despite prior felony convictions, or those who help prohibited people to obtain firearms.”
“ATF’s mission is to protect the public and serve our nation by combating violent crime,” said Donald J. Soranno, Special Agent in Charge of the Columbus Field Division. “We will continue our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal, state, and local partners to strive to make our communities safer through the reduction of gun violence.”
Details of selected cases:
U.S. v. Jackson et. al.: Five men were indicted in federal court for a series of carjackings in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood, Kenneth Jackson, Jr., 19, of Cleveland; Tervon’tae Taylor, 22, of Cleveland Heights; D’wan Dillard, Jr., 19, of Cleveland; Antowine Palmer, 23, of Cleveland, and Calvin Rembert, 22, of Cleveland, face charges including carjacking and multiple counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Palmer is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Conduct alleged in the indictment includes six different armed robberies that took place in July and August 2015. Their case is pending.
U.S. v. Jackson: Akira Jackson, of Boardman, was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for illegally possessing a firearm and body armor. Jackson was arrested in March 2015 after police found a .40 caliber pistol, ammunition and body armor in Jackson’s possession. He was forbidden by law to carry a weapon following multiple prior convictions, including conspiracy to commit manslaughter.
U.S. v. Lumpkin: A former police officer was sentenced to five years in prison after a jury convicted him of illegally selling firearms to people he knew were felons. Kevin R. Lumpkin, of North Olmsted, sold a Hi-Point .45-caliber rifle and a Ruger .380-caliber pistol on different occasions to people he knew were convicted of felonies and therefore forbidden from possessing a firearm. These sales took place between 2011 and 2013, when Lumpkin was a North Randall police officer.
U.S. v. Brooks: James E. Brooks, of Roaming Shores, was indicted on firearms and drug charges for possessing Walther, model P22, .22 Caliber Pistol; a Winchester, model 50, 12 gauge shotgun; and a Winchester, model 120, 12 gauge shotgun in August 2015. Brooks was forbidden from having firearms because of previous felony convictions including drug abuse, burglary, aggravated robbery with a firearm specification, felonious assault, escape, and felonious assault with a firearm specification. He is also charged with distributing crack cocaine and heroin. He is detained while his case is pending.
Operation Brownstone: Four people from the Cleveland area were indicted for federal firearms violations and 30 firearms seized as part of a long-term undercover investigation targeting gun and drug trafficking in Cleveland’s 4th Police District, on the city’s southeast side.
Firearm prosecution statistics for previous years:
2002: 117 indictments
2003: 155 indictments
2004: 184 indictments
2005: 220 indictments
2006: 187 indictments
2007: 191 indictments
2008: 157 indictments
2009: 156 indictments
2010: 166 indictments
2011: 218 indictments
2012: 176 indictments
2013: 207 indictments
2014: 167 indictments